“The problem is not the problem. The real problem is much worse.” Sandy Burdick I can still see the look of abject horror on Alma’s face, and the dark brown eyes opened wide as I approached her. I was about to tell her that she was magnificent, and she was […]
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If you want to see the growth, then you have to stop the horses. Build a fence and let the natural growth come. There wasn’t any fence—nothing to stop those horses from coming down into our bush area and trampling down the undergrowth. But there was a lesson for me […]
Their life was like a ship heading for the rocks, but with new words and affirmations, the ship slowly began to steer in a new direction. Thoughts change when we take charge. ‘Bitch.’ That was the word on the pendant necklace hanging around her neck. I was visiting her at […]
We often have the same negative thoughts going around and around in our brains, but we can change them when we arise and bind the brain with truth. I always marvel at those men and women who lift heavyweights. It takes time, effort, and wisdom. Many of them you will […]
Social isolation lockdown comes with touch-deprivation and highlights the need we all have of touch, but perhaps we can reach out and hold each other safely. She walked up and gave me the biggest hug. Her husband shook my hand. I’m missing touch. Are you? I know some people who […]
We can become so loaded down with religion that our faith makes us unwell, but Jesus can make us well when we reach out for the fringe. They were loaded down. You couldn’t see it, but as you listened, you could hear and feel it. It was a load of […]
Our thoughts can take us to both the best and worst of places, but we can create new thinking pathways. It will require a plan to rope bridge the synapse gap. It was a small rope bridge, and it had only three wires. One wire where you could place your […]
Being a caregiver over a long period of time can be tough going, but there are some things that those on the long haul do well. We need to applaud the long haul caregiver. There are some people that I want to stand and applaud. I love the game of […]
Few of us know how to fully and deeply relax. The noisy neighbors can keep us from the rest we need, but when we feel safe and known, we can restore. He almost went to sleep. That was the first observation he shared with me after a short spiritual meditation […]
Messages can be messy. We say one thing, they hear another, but we need to be heard so we need to learn about filters and speak with grace and compassion. The message I heard was probably not the message they wanted to send. Who got it wrong? Over the past […]
Anxiety can make you want to control, but learning to detach can bring peace. Perhaps you care too much and it’s time to let go. She was holding on tightly. Too tightly. It was care, it was love, but in that embrace, she was suffocating the life out of the […]
‘Power over’ was normal, but ‘power with’ was what they needed. When we listen deeply, we move forward. Mental health flourishes when power is shared. She was small in stature, and I think she also saw herself as being a little person, insignificant. She was also quiet and never really […]
If you knew me, would you still love me? We all need others who will be strong enough to handle what comes from the inner world of each other. When they had opened up, they looked at me and wondered if I would reject them. So many others had. I […]
Often life can feel like it’s one step forward and two steps back, but with a few words of affirmation, another step can be taken. Affirm the small footprints of the struggle and evoke the good to grow. He knew many people didn’t like him. He had made commitments then […]
When trouble comes, we can quickly isolate ourselves, but there needs to be an invitation to go deep and connect. God sets the lonely in families. We need others who will tag along and pray with us. It must have been a very lonely place. He had done everything he […]
Yes, there is ‘Sin in my life’ but there is more going on than simplistic hurtful black and white thinking. We need to grow in grace Let’s crack the whip a bit louder against the soul. It’s always saddening when you hear the story of someone who believes their […]
The reality we create needs a neighbor that asks questions. I wonder if Brendon Tarrant ever had that. The weed seed that grew into a tree of destruction needed a neighbor to nip it out. I watched some of a video from the Christchurch killing. I had put out a social […]
When you’re on a slippery slope towards suicide, you need self-talk sentences to arrest your fall. The dark self-talk of ‘I want to die’ needs to replaced with ‘I need help and I can get it’. Change your words and you change your life. The ice pick slammed into the […]
There is a time for everything, but wallowing in your past will create an endless rut of misery. Isn’t it time to allow God, who knows all, to take the unknowns and allow you to walk in today? I always like a good wallow, don’t you? It’s like a warm, […]
When I was on a 6-hour road trip back to university I picked up a hitchhiker. It was cold and wintery as I turned a corner on the Desert road and I saw a young man with his thumb stuck out. Thin, short hair and poorly clothed for the winter, […]